1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hang glider which can take off and fly by flapping its wings, like a bird, and also can soar with its wings kept stationary.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It had been a long-cherished dream of the mankind to glide through the sky by its own muscular strength, like a bird, and after repeated trial and error the so-called hang glider which can be controlled by a man hanging thereon was invented.
Hang gliders now in general use are of standard Rogallo type. Improvements of this standard Rogallo type are a roached batten tip type, a radial batten tip type, a truncated tip type, a truncated batten tip type, a curved tip type, and the like. Each of these hang gliders is constructed with leading edges arranged to intersect a keel at a forward point. Both leading edges are connected by a cross bar, a control bar is suspended from the cross bar, sailcloth is stretched over the leading edges and battens, and the wing is of fixed type. These hang gliders glide through the sky by catching an upcurrent and are controlled by maneuvering of the pilot's body weight on the control bar.
Although various types of hang gliders (i.e. hang gliders having varying wing shapes) have been disclosed as mentioned above, each of them has a wing fixed to a keel. With such hang gliders, the pilot is required to make an approach run so as to catch an upcurrent or to leap down from a high place. Therefore, it is necessary to find a location with a difference in altitude between the taking off point and the landing point, and even if the take off by way of an approach run is successful, it is difficult to soar continuously for many hours unless an upcurrent is caught properly by the wing.